Jayne Gautreau

About: Born and raised in Northern Ireland, Jayne has lived in Douglas County since 2007. She met her husband at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago when she came over to study as an exchange student in 1998. They married in Northern Ireland in December 2000, but have made their home in the United States ever since.

Jayne is a tea-drinking, chocolate-loving mama, which helps her to “keep calm and carry on.” Being a mom has brought some challenges her way, but it is also shaping her into the person she was created to be, as she learns and grows along the way.

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As I read this Facebook status the other day, I was thankful for such a timely reminder.

I had been struggling with this exact thing on that particular day and on previous days. I was feeling pretty inadequate and a little discouraged as a mom.

As we go about our days, there can be situations that happen that lead to us feeling that way.

Recently, as we were rushing out of the house, my older boys could not find their shoes. The qualities of patience and grace were definitely not showing in this mom of three boys at this point.

This scene seems to happen quite regularly in my home, no one knowing where their shoes are - especially when we are in a hurry.

I found the qualities of exasperation and frustration more prevalent at this point, but my boys did not need a crabby mom at that moment, as it was definitely not helping the already volatile situation.

Still, I did not want to be helpful in finding shoes because, quite frankly, it was not my fault that they kicked off their shoes and didn’t leave them in the shoebox by the front door.

After a quick lecture on the need to leave shoes where they can find them, I did let those frustrations go and found the qualities of patience and grace to help the boys find their shoes.

As a mom, I have faced probably some of the hardest challenges I have ever dealt with in my life. There are days when I just have no clue what I am doing (or at least I feel that way!).

This was especially true when our oldest son was showing signs of developmental delays and was then diagnosed with autism at age four.

I remember being told often, “You’re the best mom for this child. You’re so patient.”

I was grateful for the encouragement and that someone else was able to see that quality that I wasn’t always able to see myself.

I felt very inadequate for the job description and unprepared for what lay ahead of us. I have found, though,especially in those early days of diagnosis, that somehow God seemed to give me the qualities I needed at that time, whether it was patience, strength, wisdom or grace as we faced difficult and unknown days.

We have been blessed with three very energetic, fun boys.

As I grow older and face different challenges in motherhood, I am seeing that I am attaining new qualities, too. Strength to wipe up another messy footprint on the floor. Grace to deal with my son’s repetitive autistic behavior. Patience with my persistent and curious 8-year-old who likes to ask lots of questions, and endurance as I take care of theconstant needs of a 1-year-old.

Sometimes, we have no idea the kind of qualities we actually have until we are put in certain situations, and for that I am very thankful.

As a mom, I have faced probably some of the hardest challenges I have ever dealt with in my life.